Dusty Street courtesy KSAN Jive 95
Dusty Street died last week. Her former colleague, Scoop Nisker, passed away a few weeks ago. They were two of the remarkable talents that made KSAN-FM Radio - the famed Jive 95 - the station everybody in the Bay Area listened to when the Sixties turned into the Seventies and we thought we were forever young.
Each of them went on to other things in other places. Dusty spent some 16 years leading the charge at KROQ-FM in Los Angeles and later was streaming her show from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. The last few years she was broadcasting on Sirius satellite radio from her home in Eugene, Oregon. Throughout her career, she was thrilled to be playing the music and reaching the audience. No one was better.
Wes "Scoop" Nisker - photo credit Jeff Greenwald
Wes Nisker was a pioneer of the news reporting freeform radio brought to its listeners. First at KSAN, then at KFOG and KPFA, Scoop was a reporter who left no doubt about his personal take on the issues. Peace and love were his preference. Capitalism, the war machine, environmental degradation were brought low by his reports, accompanied by great music. "News you could dance to," Perry Garfinkle said in his obituary for the Oklandside. "If you don't like the news, go out and make your own," He told his audience. They often did just that. He later became a noted author, devout Buddhist, and meditation instructor before eventually succumbing to dementia at age 80. He was one of a kind.
There is a relentless parade of people departing this earthly realm who once were an essential part of our youth, our community, our best hopes and aspirations. There was a period of creativity and innovation taking place, amazing new music being made, an entire generation to inspire and be inspired by, and an unique moment in broadcast radio that brought it all together in a respectful, sensitive, and thoughtful manner. It was a wonderful time to be alive.
Who will tell the story of that time? We believe it should be told by the very people who made it happen, those of us who remain before we too depart this mortal coil. That’s why we founded www.radicalradio.media, an archive of FREEFORM radio and a tribute to the people who created it from whole cloth. Thanksgiving day will mark our first anniversary and already the site is gaining the specific gravity to attract like-minded people to join the effort.
Please join us in this effort to honor those people and preserve their incredible work. And may they rest in peace.